Pain Lies on the Riverside
by Ihsan997
Summary: Mei Guo and his band of brigands stalk an impoverished worgen couple on Draenor, but they may have bitten off more than they can chew. WARNING: told from the perspective of the bad guys. Take the M rating seriously.
1. Mei Guo

**A/N: please be advised before reading this. I used to counsel inmates in prison, and heard both inspiring stories of redemption as well as the shocking reality of those who liked the way they were. This story is an attempt to explore some of what I witnessed (through the medium of Warcraft) as well as come to terms with some things I saw.**

 **Please understand, readers: I do not enjoy the characters here. I am not getting some sort of excitement out of writing what evil people do; this is only an attempt to cope with some of the worse stuff I learned of. Nothing more.**

 **This warning will be repeated at the beginning of each of the four chapters. This is a lead in to the much, much lighter 'Before Summer's End.' If this story is difficult to read, then you will learn its resolution in that story and I won't be offended if anybody reads that without reading this.**

 **You've been warned...continue at your own peril.**

The fire burned brightly that night in Talador. Mei Guo wasn't used to camping and certainly didn't enjoy it, but all things considered, the guys had done a bang up job.

They'd taken painstaking care setting up the little circle of stones, placing the tinder carefully. None of them had tents, but they didn't need any given the temperate climate of the region; their sleeping bags were enough. All had been placed a good distance away from the site of the original camp, without risk of catching fire. Aside from not having any mounts, their foray into the wilderness had been rather comfy.

One would almost think the scene were a pleasant one...were it not for the murdered couple and and old man whose corpses the group had unceremoniously dumped on the riverside after taking over the camp.

The two mercenaries Mei Guo and his comrades hired - orcs from Azeroth - took time counting the spoils from the group's most recent exploits. Wrecking Ball and 'The Hulk' they called themselves. Both were sort of youngish looking, and hadn't been with the group long enough to share their stories. Given their age, neither of them may have much to tell. Both of them donned the makeshift leather armor and twin blades common of mercenaries who hadn't picked a class, accepted low pay and would go on any mission. One might call them rogues, like Mei Guo himself, were they not so lacking in the stealth department. Or assassination skills. Or a comprehension of poisons and toxins. Or...

Bah, Mei Guo thought. The pair had joined them on the understanding that they would take a cut of all spoils earned and wouldn't receive payment up from. Two extra pairs of hands without a down payment...fair trade.

Now, next to them...there was a guy one could rely on. The third Orc in the group was as young as the others, but had grown up in a life of crime. He had only one ear, and merely went by the nickname 'One Ear Guy.' No names. Mei Guo respected that. The guy hadn't even hesitated when stabbing the old man in the back repeatedly for trying to protect the two newly weds at the camp. Ruthless, unfeeling and mean, One Ear Guy had been a most profitable companion.

Across from them all was the only human in the group - Earl Goldthwaite, the blasphemous priest. He spoke fluent Orcish, and seeing as how Mei Guo spoke Orcish and Common both, he always had clever ways of concealing information from potential marks; most people on Azeroth only spoke one or the other, if at all, except for merchants. And they could usually just be tricked by someone as slimy as Earl. They say there's no honor among thieves. Well, Earl was the type of guy to write a bomb threat to an orphanage just so he could steal their inheritance money after sneaking inside. A man like that was pure gold in their profession.

Mei Guo shifted in his leathers as he drank another beer. He usually wore armor that left his midriff exposed; as possibly the only pandaren on all of Azeroth who had abs, he didn't feel like hiding his hard work. It took him quite a bit of running and self starvation to slim down so much, and when they weren't simply taking what they wanted, he preferred to relax by luring bar girls into whichever inn room he had rented without force. It made assaulting and robbing them - even of their clothing - all the more rewarding in terms of his reputation in the field.

Wrecking Ball turned to the others, nodding to Mei Guo in a search for approval. Granting it, he leaned forward, interested in what he new guys had to say. It could always be an opportunity for more work.

"We were talking, and neither of us can decide who to go after next," the brighter of the two new guys said. "Both me and the Hulk here got s few people to settle scores with since we snuck through the Dark Portal, but none of them are serious."

"So what do you guys think?" The Hulk asked. "If you could take revenge on any one person - kill their family, burn down their house, turn their friends on them - who would it be?"

Dark laughter arose from the party of five. Although it was really time to prepare their food, all of them could get into a conversation like this. Not only was boasting a chance to feel out the hierarchy in the group, but it also gave Mei Guo the opportunity to learn about the mentality of his band of bandits.

Comfortable silence fell after the laughter as they all took turns congenially offering to let the others start. Earl, usually as patient as the others, jumped in.

"I know my biggest vendetta all too well...and I have reason to believe, through old contacts with the Venture Company, that she's here on Draenor working with Steamwheedle now," the lecher started.

"Sounds like the possibility for revenge," Wrecking Ball said evilly.

"One would only hope." Earl's Orcish was fluent, and he had zero discomfort working alongside former members of the Horde. The only banner he believed in was one lined with gold - so he could steal it.

"Her name is Cecilia Hearthglen, some drugged out elf whore at Booty Bay."

"The best kind," commented the Hulk.

"She thought she was going to go straight, so she ended up with some of our operation's working girls. We had them everywhere: the younger ones would be working the bars and the night clubs on the south and east side, while those who were a little older or who had obvious health problems would be put to work cleaning houses and serving tea and shit."

"They served shit?" Wrecking Ball asked with mock incredulity.

"Well, hey, I don't know what all the clients were into. As long as they paid!" Another round of laughter arose from Earl's joke. "On a serious note, the girls she was staying with owed my boss, Gruesome, some money. Grue was a real low down scumbag like the rest of us, but he took money issues seriously: he always paid on time and for that, he had our loyalty."

"Here here," Mei Guo said.

"They were behind on keeping up with their debt payments, so we found a way to shift some labor. They had this fine Draenei bitch with them, the type that always had that arch to her back like a pole dancer no matter what she tried to do about it."

The Hulk hummed his approval, garnering another hearty group laugh.

"So old Grue arranged for her to work as an actual pole dancer to balance the girls' accounts!" Earl burst out to the applause of the others. "He even promised to let me break her in first, until the ladies all made a run for it. The old lady that kept watch on them, she was former SI:7 and took out one of our boys in the process."

"So where does the elf fit in?" Mei Guo asked.

"That's where the bad ending comes in. Me and Grue, we used to run things with two other guys - an Orc and a night elf. We never used names. A couple of years later, fucking Hearthglen shows up with a group of her friends all decked out in Steamwheedle armor and corners us in an alleyway. They catch my Orc friend with a knife in the back. The night elf, I guess it was some sort of vendetta among their own mind, she mauls him to death with her nasty long fingernails."

"I'm guessing they got your boss, too?" One Ear Guy asked.

Earl nodded, closing his eyes in anger. "Hearthglen gutted him and hung him from a fire escape by his own intestines. I managed to run away, but I'll never forget how she screwed up a perfectly good racketeering ring."

The Hulk looked confused at the term 'fire escape.' Indeed, such fixtures on buildings were a relatively recent development and only available in large cities. Ignoring the confused look, Earl finished his story.

"If I ever find her here, she's getting a knife in the back of the neck."

"I'll drink to that!" Wrecking Ball added with a nod and a sip from his beer.

Everyone grew quiet again, and One Ear Guy started his own story.

"Mine's more local, you could say. I used to hang around Thunder Pass with a few buddies of mine, doing odd jobs for a local guy running illegal moonshine. We used to go to the local tavern in the evenings to shoot the shit, blow off some steam, see what local tail was showing up."

"Right."

"So one night, we see this pretty little thing, probably underage but that just means they're more likely to want it, you know? And she's drinking way too much for someone her size and she's talking and laughing too loud. Like she wants to draw attention to herself, you know?"

"Sounds like the type to later claim she didn't want it," the Hulk grumbled.

"That means they do!" added Earl, to the agreement of the others.

"Well, at first she hooks up with this fucking mental case that used to hang around town, Khujand. That's the asshole's name. People either laughed at him for being so weird or just ignored him, but for whatever reason that little tart gave him a pity dance. He ends up dragging her outside between these two buildings, and she comes running out after a few minutes - guess she wasn't in to the freak show."

"So she comes running to you and your friends, I'm guessing?" Mei Guo suggested.

"Exactly. We take her down on the entry ramp leading in to town, try to let her showier gratitude. And that God damn freak show followed us there! Comes at us in the dark before we see him coming and runs us out of town before we have a chance to fight back. My two friends died out in the cold that night. I'm keeping eyes and ears out in the Horde garrisons now, trying to see if he ever wanders out of Thunder Pass."

"He does, he's dead meat!" The Hulk said with a fist pounded into his palm. These young ones had quite a bit of enthusiasm.

All eyes were on Mei Guo, waiting for the boss's story. He wouldn't disappoint.

"Well, my biggest vendetta ended recently...it was my brother."

Wrecking Ball's eyes widened. "Damn!"

"Nice!" Earl beamed.

"Yeah, a real goody two shoes he was. Tried to make a living helping sick travelers for free and bullshit like that. What's worse, our village bought into his little act."

One Ear Guy shook his head in disgust. Really, who wouldn't be sickened by some asshole pretending to be some sort of hero?

"What did youngest up doing?" The Hulk asked.

"I poisoned him," Mei Guo answered. Him and our entire annoying family."

"That's a winner right there!" Earl cheered.

"Yep. A concoction I invented myself - I even keep a little here in case we need it for a mark. You just slip it in their food or drink, and they feel tired and nauseous at the same time. Like they just want to lie down and go to sleep. I took our family gold stash along with these stupid little trinkets he had bought for his kids the next time they would visit. Used that money to get me here on Draenor - no short of moronic do goodread out here thinking they're making a difference and letting their guard down."

"It sounds like you don't have a vendetta for the time being," Wrecking Ball stated while stroking his chin with a finger thoughtfully.

Before anybody could speak, Mei Guo saw something up the road and gave the hand signal for silence.

Far off in the distance, three figures approached. It appeared to be another married couple, and this time they had a mount with them. The entire group acted cool and left their boss, whose eyesight was legendary among other highway robbers, to inspect the potential marks while Wrecking Ball pushed the three corpses the rest of the way into the river.

From what he could tell, it was a worgen couple and their talbuk. The mount was carrying some crates of supplies, and the husband who led it by the reins wore the heavy plate armor of an Alliance infantryman. The wife - he assumed they were married - wore the apron of a field medic, and walked behind he husband demurely.

Smelling the gold on them from half a mile away, Mei Guo turned back to the others with determination in his eyes.

"Maybe I just found one," he sneered.


	2. One Ear Guy

**A/N: please be advised before reading this. I used to counsel inmates in prison, and heard both inspiring stories of redemption as well as the shocking reality of those who liked the way they were. This story is an attempt to explore some of what I witnessed (through the medium of Warcraft) as well as come to terms with some things I saw.**

 **Please understand, readers: I do not enjoy the characters here. I am not getting some sort of excitement out of writing what evil people do; this is only an attempt to cope with some of the worse stuff I learned of. Nothing more.**

 **This warning will be repeated at the beginning of each of the four chapters. This is a lead in to the much, much lighter 'Before Summer's End.' If this story is difficult to read, then you will learn its resolution in that story and I won't be offended if anybody reads that without reading this.**

 **You've been warned...continue at your own peril.**

The group of five scattered, but in an organized fashion. Mei Guo directed the two new guys to chuck the remaining corpses in the river as the others began preparing food. Whether they ended up luring the couple to sit down and eat with them or not, the five would need food themselves. Either way, things were looking up in One Ear Guy's eyes as he discussed the plan with the boss.

"We need to know how many languages they can understand," Mei Guo explained slyly while laying out the ingredients for his poison next to the seasonings for the fresh stew they were preparing. "Knowledge is power; if these two are traveling alone like this, they're either very dangerous or very stupid."

Suppressing a sinister grin in anticipation of his theatrical performance, One Ear Guy carefully hid everyone's weapons inside a sleeping bag. The others had worked furiously to change out of their armor and into simple peasants' clothing behind a few trees before the couple had arrived, and the scene couldn't have appeared more peaceful; just a group of travelers doing their part to fight the Iron Horde.

"We'll find out within a few lines whether they're the real deal or not," One Ear Guy whispered as he walked from the campsite near the riverside to the main road. It was paved by the locals, most likely ages ago, but was narrow and could barely accommodate the husband and their load bearing mount both. "I'll keep you posted."

Once out to the main road, One Ear Guy was about to sit on a rock before something caught his eye.

Strapped to the back of the talbuk was a large crate with the familiar red symbol for the work supplies of a healer's ward. Thinking as fast as he could, he took note of the wife's surgical apron as well as her shy, almost defensive demeanor behind her imposing husband. A pure medic, he figured, and by the looks of their personal bags - barely large enough to carry a spare set of clothing or two - he could tell that the couple were down on their luck.

"Jackpot," One Ear Guy murmured to himself.

He'd been stabbed in the arm when they took out the poor saps they had liberated the camp and their current stash of gold from. The cut had already been sterilized with their last bit of hydrogen peroxide, but it hadn't begun to heal yet. Ripping off the makeshift bandage Earl had fashioned for him from an old rag, One Ear Guy inspected his wound. It was thin and shallow but long, and painful looking - like a papercut. Placing his thumb on one side and his index finger on the other, he started to pry it open even wider. The pain was excruciating and the burn even caused one of his eyes to tear up. He let it flow - all a part of the act. For whatever reason, the stupid Light hadn't forsaken Earl entirely and he could always cast a heal spell later. As One Ear Guy watched his own skin tear open, more of his red blood seeped out onto his green skin and covered the stains from his old, dried blood. Digging in to the uninjured flesh to the side of the cut, he managed to push some more blood out just as the couple came close enough to see detail.

Sitting on that rock in order to appear as non threatening as possible, he clutched the cut with one hand and allowed himself to grimace for real at the sting. The husband wore an Alliance tabard. Although the two factions were still legally enemies, their joint efforts at fighting Hellscream's forces led to many a traveler to break the factional barrier. Just another way for their guard to be down, as he and Earl had found working in tandem together for the past few weeks.

The couple slowed down, and the wife walked a little more closely to the husband and lined her figure up behind his such that she couldn't be seen. The husband made no secret that he was inspecting One Ear Guy and his nonchalant allies as they milled about the camp, and the big guy seemed to buy in to their innocent act. Chump.

"Lok tar, friends," One Ear Guy said in Orcish with the cheeriest expression he could manage while still grimacing in pain. When the husband continued staring at him blankly, he realized the man had no idea what had been said.

"I apologize; I slipped back into my own language. Hail to you, friends in arms against Hellscream's tyranny." His flowery introduction was almost over the top, and he held his breath wondering if it would work.

The male worgen looked surprised. "You speak Common well," he remarked before shaking his head in disbelief. "Oh...hail." His caution insinuated that he may be uncomfortable around Horde races. This might take some work.

"Well, seeing as how we're all joining forces now, I figured it would help to learn the language of the other side of the good guys," One Ear Guy replied while wincing. When the couple continued walking without pausing, he dove in. "You don't happen to be...selling any of those medical supplies, do you? I'm a little hurt, as you can see."

At that comment, the wife peeked out from behind the husband to take a look at the wound on One Ear Guy's arm as he pretended to look at it himself. The couple shared a few words before the husband spoke on their behalf.

"We do have some extra bandages we could part with. Supplies are a bit difficult to come by out here; we can't let them go for less than two silver a roll," the man said.

"Oh...thank you, so much!" One Ear Guy sighed, a look of insincere gratitude that would have fooled the most talented mind reader plastered across his face. "I'd actually like to buy three rolls, if that's okay with you. You never know what might happen on the roads out here; this place is more dangerous than my friends and I had realized!"

Using his non bloodied hand, he pulled six silver pieces out of the coinpurse on his belt and offered it to the man without waiting to see if he would even agree to sell three. The husband hesitated a few seconds before accepting it, and remained facing One Ear Guy as his wife dug through the crate for the rolls of bandages. As One Ear Guy tried his best to look unassuming, he was able to size up the couple properly with a few subtle glances. The male wasn't quite as large as that socially inept sack of shit Khujand, but was fairly close, and One Ear Guy's head only came up to the bottom of the worgen's chest. He looked about as beefy as the big blue retard, too, and the heavy armor he wore would protect his body. If they could poison him well enough, though, he might not even be able to get back up after falling. His head and part of his midriff were exposed, in addition to his feet and ankles. People of all races had a lot of blood vessels around the ankles that could be sliced, though the exposed fur over the guy's stomach cried out for a stabbing, too. One Ear Guy would make sure to keep that in mind.

Still hiding behind her husband, the female worgen handed the rolls of bandages to him so he could hand them over. Though he didn't smile, he did nod politely and obviously didn't notice the glance One Ear Guy had stolen from the wife. She was a good foot shorter than her husband, which still make her almost a foot taller than One Ear Guy and most of the others. But she was also thin for her kind, and her delicate movements insinuated that she had zero ability to fight back; they would only have to worry about her husband.

Not wanting any discomfort to enter the couple's minds, he quickly tried to keep them talking. "Pleasure doing business with you, sir!" he said, making sure not to address the obviously conservative man's wife.

"Oh...uh, likewise," the warrior mumbled, seemingly in shock at the civility from an Orc.

Scratching his head meekly, One Ear Guy flexed his theatrical skills even further and practically bled sheepishness as he avoided eye contact. "Hey, listen...my friends and I have some fresh stew we're preparing, and there's more than we can finish. The ingredients will go bad if we wait any longer, though. I was wondering...oh gosh, this is awkward." The wife had already finished sealing up the supply crate, but the couple remained standing where they were, and he realized they were already considering it. "Well, you know, it's rough out here, trying to do the right thing...my friends and I, you know, we have both Alliance and Horde here...perhaps you wouldn't mind helping us finish some of this stew before you continue on your way? Perhaps share any news you've heard about the war effort?"

He fumbled with the bandage rolls and even pretended to drop one for effect, giving off the air of a complete buffoon who couldn't hurt anybody. The husband looked to One Ear Guy and then to Earl, clearly suspicious about the interfactional group. His wife, however, poked him lightly on the back to grab his attention.

"Just one moment," the man said, and he turned slightly to engage in a hushed conversation with his wife.

It was do or die time. The wife spoke softly, even softer than the husband despite the fact that they were both whispering. Neither of them gave away what exactly they were thinking, and One Ear Guy could only wait with baited breath as he hoped his deception would pay off.

He only had to wait half a minute for the good news as the husband turned back to him. "We would be glad to stay for a few minutes," the man said without looking glad, but both him and his wife looking hungry.

"Oh really? Well, glad to have you with us, then!" One Ear Guy practically chirped as he sat up too fast and winced for real. "I'll let the others know to prepare you some bowls _before_ I even distribute the bandages!"

Not even waiting for the couple to follow, he hobbled off, bandages in one hand and wound held closed by the other. At the camp he made a show out of only speaking Common to Mei Guo and Earl, as though Wrecking Ball and the Hulk couldn't understand the language. Quick, exaggeratedly polite news was delivered of their guests and true to their roles, nobody reacted much aside from cordial nods. One Ear Guy provided some 'translation' into Orcish warning them of the couple's reserved nature and that they had to avoid offending the wife's modesty if they wanted this to work.

For their part, the worgen couple stood off to the side of the camp as they waited, chatting quietly as the wife stood behind her husband and the talbuk while the husband remained half facing her and half facing the camp. Trust levels were clearly low and One Ear Guy warned the others again not to sit too close or to directly face toward the couple save himself and Mei Guo. Like a team of professional actors, they were all business, nobody making sick jokes or muttering over what awful things they wished to do. Just a group of consummate professionals, enriching and enhancing their own lives by ruining those of others.

Mei Guo used sweeping hand motions as he mixed his poison in between adding seasoning to the stew and the Hulk actually had to turn away as he stifled a laugh, pretending to repackage whatever rubbish they found in the bags of the other couple they had murdered that night. The others all pretended to be busy after politely waving to the two worgen, and the entire camp gave off an aura of quiet calm; it was as though the violence that had taken place earlier was erased from the annals of time.

One Ear Guy really drove the performance home when he remembered that Earl was still wearing some robes he stole from an abbey priest in Stormwind before porting to Ashran. Excusing himself from the sitting ducks, he sat across from the blasphemous priest on a log and showed him the cut on his arm.

"Brother Stevenson, do you think it will become infected?" One Ear Guy asked in Common with big saucer eyes.

Falling into his role immediately, Earl leaned forward and squinted his eyes, obviously trying to appear a bit tired but also concerned. "The power of the Light heals all," he mimed in a voice that sounded much more aged than it normally did. "We can wrap that for you, but prayer must never be neglected."

From the corner of his eye, One Ear Guy noticed a shift in the wife's demeanor. She no longer hid behind her husband so closely, and a certain openness seemed to overtake her. The religious appeal had struck a chord, and One Ear Guy winked with the eye that was concealed from them in a tacit encouragement of Earl's direction. Not wanting to delay them long enough to allow the husband's suspicions to take over, he then turned to Wrecking Ball to make some small talk.

"I'm talking in Orcish right now to pretend that we're sharing news right now," One Ear Guy said lightly in his native language.

Mei Guo's ears turned back against his head at the phrase, and Wrecking Ball looked at the couple to check for a reaction. "Hey, just be sure you don't say anything they might recognize," the mercenary answered back in Orcish.

"Nah, don't worry about it. These saps are completely cluess." One Ear Guy's tone carried all the arrogance one would expect of someone pulling off such a caper right under a mark's nose. Switching to Common, he tried his best to reassure the two worgen. "Our buddies here mentioned something about the Spires of Arak to the south; you may want to stay out of there."

The wolfman nodded politely, his gaze fixated on the stew Mei Guo had begun pouring into wooden bowls. One Ear Guy shot the big man a pleading look as though he felt legitimately offended that no news was offered back. As if sensing he had caused offense, the husband finally responded with news of his own.

"Oh...we just came from Tuurem, to the north," the husband mumbled. His interest sounded forced. "The town was destroyed by the Iron Horde, but it has since been retaken for the locals. We participated in the rebuilding the best we could - much of the north of this region should be relatively safe now."

"Dinner is ready!" Mei Guo chirped in a voice that was almost disgustingly cheery.

One Ear Guy clinched his stomach in an attempt to force a growl, but when that failed he sufficed with licking his lips like a giant mental case. Fucking asshole, he thought...

Mei Guo handed a bowl to One Ear Guy first, flashing a look of fake sincerity at the bandaged wound on his arm so believable that Earl actually had to bite his thumb to avoid laughing out loud. The second bowl was passed to Earl, and he bowed his head in a mock prayer before beginning to spoon it gingerly. Quickly hurrying back to the cooking pot, Mei Guo stood such that his back blocked view of what he was doing, and One Ear Guy grinned as he slurped, knowing what was happening. The next two bowls were passed to the worgen husband, who took them somewhat cautiously and waited for the pandaren to turn around and walk back to the pot before handing one bowl to his wife. They both smelled the soup one time before whispering among themselves and digging in, finishing the stew rather quickly. One Ear Guy's pulse shot through the roof as their plan went underway; the husband whorfed the whole thing down in under a minute, and the two new guys had barely even began their own before the husband was waiting to take his wife's bowl and hand it back.

It only took a minute or so for everybody to finish, and One Ear Guy made sure to finish his first to demonstrate to the couple that everything was fine. Once the bowls had been collected, Mei Guo feigned drowsiness and everyone else followed suit.

"Well, we may be heading north in just a few minutes, then," the scheming Orc mock yawned to the couple. "We'd much prefer to avoid any potential difficulties on the road. Do take care of yourselves on the road south, alright?"

The couple apparently couldn't wait to get out of there, as they didn't protest or even shoot a dirty look over the fumblingly brusque farewell.

"May the Light be with you," the husband said as he roused the talbuk from its grazing on the side of the road. "We thank you for your kindness."

As they walked away, Earl hung his head low in mock humility. It had worked better than he may have anticipated; as the travelers left, One Ear Guy noticed the wife look back and shoot the human an expression of respect for a moment before turning back to the road. Everyone milled about the camp a little more and pretended to be setting up for northbound travel until the two worgen were out of sight.

Earl switched the conversation back to Orcish. "Boss, how long before that poison starts to kick in?"

Mei Guo had already pulled his armor out of his sleeping bag by the time the question was asked. "It's fast acting but also fast to disappear from the system; it has to be mild to avoid affecting the taste and smell of the food," he explained. "We have to move if we want to catch them as he passes out. I can scout ahead to keep watch until it's time to strike."

Following Mei Guo's lead, the rest of the partners in crime rushed to don their weapons and armor. So excited were they that they merely hid their stash and equipment behind a tree, opting for fast travel rather than moving the entire camp. Once everyone was dressed, One Ear Guy pulled the final piece of his intimidating combat gear. Donning his totally awesome looking blue headband, he turned to the others.

"The hunt is on."

 **A/N: I'm going in for surgery tomorrow. Wish me luck.**


	3. Earl Goldthwaite

********A/N: please be advised before reading this. I used to counsel inmates in prison, and heard both inspiring stories of redemption as well as the shocking reality of those who liked the way they were. This story is an attempt to explore some of what I witnessed (through the medium of Warcraft) as well as come to terms with some things I saw.********

 **Please understand, readers: I do not enjoy the characters here. I am not getting some sort of excitement out of writing what evil people do; this is only an attempt to cope with some of the worse stuff I learned of. Nothing more.**

 **This warning will be repeated at the beginning of each of the four chapters. This is a lead in to the much, much lighter 'Before Summer's End.' If this story is difficult to read, then you will learn its resolution in that story and I won't be offended if anybody reads that without reading this.**

 **You've been warned...continue at your own peril.**

Earl stood behind Wrecking Ball as the group of four hid behind a large earthen outcropping formed by jutting tree were close enough to the river that the sound of the flow would drown out their whispering, and could speak with relative freedom. It had been a few minutes since Mei Guo had scouted ahead to follow the winding, uneven footprints of the worgen couple, and the others were beginning to grow impatient.

"It's been too long; we need to act decisively!" The Hulk demanded.

"You don't know what decisiveness even means," retorted Wrecking Ball with more than a little condescension in his voice.

"Things are going nowhere with us just waiting here, though!"

Always the most patient in the group, Earl peeked over his squat yet burly comrade's shoulder and waited. He'd partnered with the pandaren rogue enough times to know the boss wouldn't disappoint. It was only a matter of time.

A few more minutes of bickering later, and the devil himself crept out of the shadows. He was taking his sweet time, and the level of comfort he exuded insinuated that he must be feeling rather confident. It proved infectious, and the others soon quieted down as the leader of their merry band of thieves and murderers walked without a hint of stealth about him.

"He fell."

Everyone stood in silence for a moment as they basked in their success.

Once the moment had lived out its time, the blasphemous priest got down to the more significant matters.

"The wife is mine," Earl proclaimed without any justification given.

He needed none, apparently, as he was only met by smiled and nods before he continued. "How bad does he look?" the Hulk asked.

"He only fell about a minute or so ago," the boss explained. "The poison is most likely hitting him hard by now, making him feel nauseous but not allowing him to throw up. If we leave now, we can catch him just as the drowsiness kicks in and knock him out hard."

"Let's roll!" One Ear Guy said in a totally original and non-cliche way, eager for the group to move in for the kill.

Mei Guo led and the others followed, their weapons clinking but their expressions as unassuming as possible. Of course, the couple would know what was happening the moment they saw all of them assembled without their bags and tools, but pretending they were still deceiving was part of all the fun. The last time, Earl had continued claiming they were there to help the old man at the camp they'd stolen get some rest as he stabbed the half dead geezer in the chest repeatedly. He hoped he could come up with some new lines this time, but he would never plan it out; it was always more fun to allow the taunts to come naturally.

Nobody spoke as they hurdled down the road. Along with Earl himself, the Hulk was practicing his best concerned face; up to the very last minute, most of them would still pretend to be coming to the couple's aid. It didn't take long before the marks were in sight, and Earl couldn't have been more pleased.

Clutching his chest, the husband had fallen to one knee and was panting heavily. The wife held both palms over the top of her snout, a look of worry plastered across her wolffish face. She stood before him but didn't help; the one time she tried, he waved her away and dry heaved hoarsely. It only took her a moment to see the group of five approaching, and at the sign of tension in her demeanor, Mei Guo waved for the rest of them to stop. Earl moved forward at his prompting, putting on his best concerned friar act.

"Has he vomited, or has he kept the stew down?" Earl asked, stepping around to the side so the husband could see him clearly. There was no reason to cause the couple alarm just yet.

The husband tried to life his head only for a split second before letting it droop back down. Earl knew that sort of body language; the man didn't want to let on how sick he really was. For sure he must have suspected foul play, but seemed to be banking on his intuition being wrong. The wife, for her part, looked a bit perturbed as well but didn't seem afraid of the berobed, portly priest.

"Not yet, Brother Stevenson, but he appears to have food poisoning," the wife admitted sadly. She must have realized they had little else to do save appeal for help. "Are you sure...did any of you experience issues with the stew?"

"That was nearly the case, I'm afraid," Earl lied, making it all up as he went along. "Tell me, my friend, do you feel capable of standing up?" It was a rash move, but excitement prevented him from his usual patience.

The husband did manage to look Earl in the face, and he saw the deliriousness in the man's eyes. He didn't seem to be in pain so much as he was simply feeling very ill, and his previous hesitation seemed to have disappeared - perhaps due to the delirium. "I'm not so sure, now...I can try."

Earl had to fight off a grin when the man didn't even bother asking why. Making sure to stay on the opposite side of the man from his wife, Earl tucked his hands into his oversize sleeves as he moved in front of the warrior. Earl's back was to the river and he held the mark's attention perfectly; Mei Guo and One Ear Guy ambled away and pretended to look back toward the north end of the road to appear as though not all attention was focused on them.

Whether their unease remained or not, the husband complied, obviously trusting in the medical knowledge of the supposed 'Brother Stevenson.' Rising up, the husband wobbled slightly and stopped before reaching his full height. Earl leaned in close and pretended to inspect the man's eyes, scratching an imaginary itch on his right ear as a signal...

"Stop!" the wife cried, but to no avail.

::THUD::

The huge husband flew forward upon being shoved from behind by Wrecking Ball and the Hulk. Too exhausted to even grunt, he hit the ground chest first, hard, and not a sound escaped his jaws. His two handed sword and its sheathe fell loose from his back strap as he slid down the riverbank, and he lied entirely motionless and halfway in the water. His wife ran forward and then back, clearly flustered and unsure of what to do.

Before anyone else could act, the dumb animal ran in between the wife and the merry bandit band in an attempt to protect her, baa-ing like an idiot.

"You won't be needing this," Mei Guo chuckled as he ran his axe blade underneath the talbuk's neck, stroking the back of its head as though he were tending to a loved one.

The mount crumpled to the ground pathetically, dropping its cargo into a pool of its own blood. The others dragged both potential fresh meat and plundered cargo away, leaving Earl to his own machinations as promised. The wife moved toward her unconscious husband, who was now forgotten and ignored by the group; he was very lucky they took more interest in his possessions than in ending his life for fun.

The wife stopped when Earl took a step in her direction. Frozen in place, she seemed utterly confused, as though she was unused to violence. Grinning, the human noticed that one of the mercenaries had nothing to do while the others tore open the carton.

"Hey Wrecking Ball," Earl called behind himself as the wife wrung her hands silently, unsure of whether it was safe for her to rush to her husband's side or not.

"Yeah?"

"Watch my back, will you? The little lady and I have an appointment that requires...devoted attention." Although his cheesy line was a bit vague, the tone of voice and the look he shot the paralyzed wife sent his message loud and clear.

At first, she didn't run. Earl imagined that everything was happening in slow motion for her, like some sort of nightmare. And when he saw the quaking begin - first in her shoulders, then in her arms - he knew she was beaten. She wouldn't even cling to her husband's worthless body as she was dragged off into the bushes.

All pretense gone, Earl charged. He didn't even try to grab her; his only goal was to terrify her. To fill her with morbid fear until she couldn't breathe. Letting out a yelp, she ran, holding up her dress and stumbling over the uneven ground. It was almost too easy, and the human hummed with an excited whining noise through his nostrils as Wrecking Ball, following but hanging back a good ways, laughed out loud.

Across the main road and through the woods she ran, not even crying out for help. Earl had gone through this so many times, with so many women and girls; he lost count after the first dozen or so. Some of them shouted at first, but they all quieted down into a whimper eventually - once he broke them. That was the point. He didn't even go all the way with some of them. What he was after was the domination: the complete and total dismantling of another sentient being. Earl didn't even want them to beg. He wanted to push them beyond the point of even bothering.

After the wife stumbled over a clearly visible tree root, Earl begin to piece her personality together and then pick it apart based on experience. This woman was unathletic and had likely never been pushed so hard. He began to doubt his earlier premonition that she was unused to violence when she refused to scream; they always screamed if it was their first time. No, this...this one had been broken before. She had to have been controlled somehow. Her movements were frantic yet uncoordinated, as though her adrenaline did nothing to fuel her body. That was terror, he knew for a fact. The kind of terror when their legs wouldn't respond properly to their brain. And when she stepped right in a little hole in the grass that she should have seen, Earl knew she was reliving something. If it was so vivid that her mind straddled both the present and the past so intensely, then it must have been with a stranger before too, rather than with a relative or a friend of the family.

So excited he couldn't even cackle, Earl pressed on, running directly behind her but intentionally not catching up so she could feel the vibration of his footsteps in her own feet. Her dress and surgical apron prevented her from running straight, and her lack of coordination slowed her down. Still, Earl wasn't in the best of shape and knew he'd lose his wind soon. Reaching forward, he snagged the back of her blouse and held two folds of cloth with his grubby hands, forcing her to pull his body weight.

She pleaded, but weakly. She didn't even bother raising her voice, and paroxysms of ecstasy coursed through Earl's veins both at the physical sensation of her struggling and the mental sensation as her weak voice trailed off.

Exhausted from stress, she hit the dirt and crawled against a tree trunk. Finally turning to face him, she reared back with her leg as if to kick him.

"Go ahead," he dared her. "Do it. See what happens."

Opening her long mouth momentarily, she croaked as sound refused to exit, and she struggled to keep her threatening leg up from the strain. Earl became paralyzed himself as horror filled her eyes. The woman had to be nearly seven feet tall and she made no attempt to fight back. Sarcastically thanking an Almighty he didn't actually believe in, he reveled in the absolute control of another living being. He continued staring even when her breathing became shallow and she looked around, hoping for some sort of miracle to drop out of the sky.

"Nobody is coming to help you," he taunted in a low voice, allowing the spittle to collect at the corners of his mouth now that he no longer had to concern himself with making an impression. "There is no relief, no solution waiting to surprise you at the last minute. There is no way out, no way to avoid this." Channeling the hate he held for every woman who ever rejected him, proved him wrong in an argument or stepped in front of him in a public street, Earl leaned close and knelt down slightly, laughing as she tried to back up even further against the tree trunk. "And you know that."

The last line hit her especially hard. Shaking her head rapidly, she tried batting his hand away as he reached forward. Despite having larger hands than the pudgy human, she was trembling so much that she couldn't muster the strength to push him away. He let her try, searching for what made her cringe the most, and the he saw it.

She kicked her heels into the dirt when his hand came near her snout.

That's where it had happened before. Earl always knew. Pushing against her hands, he ran a single finger along her muzzle, pulling back once he had finished. And when she opened her eyes, she knew she had been exposed. A transition occurred, and he saw all the disgust she felt for him transfer back onto herself. Deep, choked sobs from the very depths of her soul filled the air as she curled around her knees, no longer bothering to defend herself. And Earl absolutely loved it. He didn't even interrupt the symphony of torment to touch her again as he listened.

He was so enraptured that he didn't even hear the commotion behind him.

::SNAP:: ::SNAP:: ::SNAP:: ::SNAP::

"Yyyeeeeaaaarrrrggggghhh!" Earl screamed as four of his fingers broke across both hands when he tried to catch his fall from the body being knocked into his back.

Biting blood from his tongue as his teeth clattered, he just barely avoided face planting as he hit the dirt several yards away. His four fingers were bent backward in the most shocking way possible, and the pins and needles only added to the burning pain in the rapidly swelling joints. Tears pricked at his eyes as the pain wouldn't decrease, and he panicked even more when they wouldn't even twitch in response to his motor strip's command. When he turned, he only had a split second to see Wrecking Ball jump back up and unsheathe his sword. The orc only managed to stay in the fight for a few seconds before his hand was cut off by a massive two handed sword.

"Argh!" Wrecking Ball cried in a high pitched voice as his hand fell uselessly to the ground. He clutched the bloody stump to no avail, cringing and doubling over like a coward instead of trying to pick up his sword with his free hand.

Crying openly, Earl snapped his fingers back into place in two motions, whimpering like a slapped child in the process. Snot caught in his throat as he tried to understand what had happened.

Between the trees, One Ear Guy ran by and glanced at the squealing human.

"RUN BITCH RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!"

In a state of mortal terror, Earl turned as he tried to haul his pot bellied carcass off the ground only to come face to face with the worgen woman. Both of them stood on their knees, frozen as they looked at each other. Her breathing was still heavy, but she refused to budge, glued to her spot in front of him and blocking him from the quickest escape route. Pain and adrenaline fueled rage inside the human's heart, only for it to burn out with a whimper in a way which caused Earl physical pain in his chest. Both of them had tears running from their eyes, but the wife had changed. Something wasn't right. The sensation of pins and needles returned to Earl's broken fingers and nausea bit as his stomach as he tried to deny what his intuition was telling him: she wasn't afraid of him anymore.

The v shape of her eyebrows had flipped upside down, and a growl filled Earl's ears as the terror he had instilled in her transferred to himself. Once weak and jello-like limbs stretched taut, and the quaking in her shoulder's wasn't the sort he recognized as being from fear. Rapidly shaking, he felt the sense of control escape him, leaving him cold and alone in front of a dangerous woman much larger than himself. She stalked toward him as though she had not a worry in the world, and just when he tried shouting a feeble warning at her, she struck.

"Nooooooo!" Earl screamed in a high pitched voice as the woman slashed at his groin with her claws.

Three of her sharp-ended fingers cut into the groin of his robe; one of them caught on the fabric and left two to poke through.

Two of her fingers cut into his underwear, opening a hole; one of them caught on the fabric and left one to poke through.

Her last finger connected with his scrotum, dragging the claw backward and tearing something open in the most excruciating pain he'd ever felt in his life.

It was all the motivation he needed, and the human narrowly avoided a second swipe as he bolted and ran, clutching his privates in reaction to the dripping sensation he felt between his legs. Soon enough, it became difficult to discern what exactly it was. Only as if to mock him, the Light responded to his pitiful sobs and sealed closed whatever cut she had opened, ending one source of pain but ignoring another.

At every step he took as he fled behind One Ear Guy, agony pounded at Earl's side. It caused him to limp awkwardly and slowed down his escape as pressure mounted just below his navel. His running hampered by the lightning fast pain in his abdomen, Earl let go of all dignity and released his clenched muscles in order to run unimpeded and defecated in his underwear. The stench was horrendous but the pain in his gut ceased every time he strode once his bowels had been emptied, and his loose motion enabled him to speed up. A quick glance back only gave him a glimpse of Wrecking Ball being sliced in half from head to groin, and Earl could only wonder what had befallen the Hulk.

Mei Guo sprinted ahead of them both, and the three ignored Wrecking Ball's death groan as they all ran for dear life, not even paying attention to which way they were going.

 **A/N: I actually had to stop writing this for a while halfway through Earl's scene. It's sad that people like that exist in the real world. That was lying around in my head for years since first listening to someone tell the story, and it always hurt a little when it popped into my head unresolved at random times. That isn't the end of this trio, as we find in the next and last chapter...I hope readers can forgive me in this one instance for giving a spoiler by saying that I'm not finished with these guys yet.**


	4. Three Pigs in a Blanket

**A/N: please be advised before reading this. I used to counsel inmates in prison, and heard both inspiring stories of redemption as well as the shocking reality of those who liked the way they were. This story is an attempt to explore some of what I witnessed (through the medium of Warcraft) as well as come to terms with some things I saw.**

 **Please understand, readers: I do not enjoy the characters here. I am not getting some sort of excitement out of writing what evil people do; this is only an attempt to cope with some of the worse stuff I learned of. Nothing more.**

 **This warning will be repeated at the beginning of each of the four chapters. This is a lead in to the much, much lighter 'Before Summer's End.' If this story is difficult to read, then you will learn its resolution in that story and I won't be offended if anybody reads that without reading this.**

 **You've been warned...continue at your own peril.**

The sun had risen by the time Mei Guo had led the survivors to a safe haven. For hours on end, they had run, speaking only that which was necessary. Dodging rocks,novo idling crunchy patches of leaves and staying far away from the riverside that would give them away were the topics of what little conversation there was. Other than that, there was no need for words.

He had mixed the poison perfectly. Everything should have gone according to plan. The fleabag fell, pure and simple, and took quite a thump when the two late Orc mercenaries pushed him chest first onto a rock. Yet somehow, some way, he'd managed to get back up. The Hulk got to the worgen husband first, trying to shove the warrior down again for a killing blow only to have his arm broken in three places. One Ear Guy rushed to slash at him only to back away when the worgen grabbed the Hulk's sword. And when he decapitated the dim witted mercenary with it in under one and a half seconds, Mei Guo and his associate ran off.

The mutt man had left them alone, though. Upon beheading the first mercenary, he made a bee line for the second, cutting Wrecking Ball's hand off and then, as if he took some sort of sadistic glee, cut the guy's entire body in half. What an awful person!

Earl had born the brunt of the assault among the three survivors. The female fleabag had almost castrated him after their little tryst and although the human had used his basic healing skills the best he could, the way he walked indicated that his groin hadn't been saved completely. The stench from when Earl had shat in his own pants hung in the air around them for a long time after he had cleaned up, as if to remind them of their failure.

Bruised, battered and bloodied, they marched on. They had no food, no water aside from the river and nowhere to sleep other than the ground. They had even forgotten their stash of stolen gold far back up the road, and none of them dared to follow the road back toward a potential second confrontation with the worgen warrior, not even three against one. The trio was stranded, and by the time they saw signs of life on road under the late morning sun, none of them were quite in the mood to swindle yet.

Searching out a secluded clearing between the trees outside some rat hole called Exarch's Refuge, the three nearly passed out in the dirt. For the longest time, they sat there panting, unable to move. Mei Guo himself had only been shaken and One Ear Guy just lightly traumatized when he had tried to actually fight the warrior head on, but that was enough - coupled with the hours and hours of running - to leave them both winded. Earl, who had the poorest fitness of the three and also had part of his manhood torn out and then improperly healed, looked to be near exhaustion. Lying in the dirt with his eyes closed and his pot belly sticking up in the air, he could have been awake or asleep - it was difficult to tell either way.

The commotion of all the sickeningly happy families at the Refuge irritated Mei Guo, though at least all the attention inside the little makeshift podunk town kept wandering eyes far away from their hiding spot. After what seemed like an eternity, he sat up.

"Fuck mild poisons," he grumbled. "I swear to all that is holy and unholy, I will coat my blades in the nastiest stuff I can make and run that furball through." The gears of evil began turning in his head as the boss thought of another plan. "His armor and sword can fetch a fair price. A place full of immigrants like this will have replacement mercs. Whatever we can plunder from that worgen's corpse will be theirs; that's our sales pitch. As long as we put that guy's head on a pike, our weekend will be complete and we can move on to all the marks hanging around this shitstain of a town."

Earl listened with his eyes closed as he grimaced, more in the horror of how he had been so unfairly violated than at any residual pain. One Ear Guy crawled to his knees and was peering through the bushes, his eyes nearly bugging out of his head.

"Boss, come see this," the orc said with a motion of his hand.

Knowing One Ear Guy never to be one to waste time, Mei Guo crouched low and peered through the leaves, expecting to see an easy target that could get them enough gold to eat and rest. Perhaps a child who had been given an allowance, or an old lady wearing a ring.

What he saw then couldn't have filled him with a stronger second wind, and his enraged growl even prompted Earl to waddle up and see.

Through the trees, they had a clear view of the main wooden gates of the Refuge. A few of the Azerothian races were milling about there with locals, but one group stood noticeably taller than everyone else.

A towering Amazonian woman chatted lightly, her light purple skin, dark blue hair and long ears signalling night elven heritage. Her eyes didn't glow the way those of her kind normally did and she was covered in more tattoos than a Booty Bay side street was covered in graffiti, and Earl became so perturbed that his really good looking combover fell to the side.

Holding her hand like some sappy dipshit was a towering jungle troll with glowing eyes and clipped tusks, implying time served in prison. The volume of his voice and his hand movements weren't exactly socially appropriate for the situation, as though he didn't quite know how to interact with others, and One Ear Guy began cussing under his breath.

And facing the two was a gigantic furry couple, almost as tall and just as pathetic, chatting away like friends. The worgen wife appeared emotionally stable again, somehow having moved on from the obviously deserved humiliation Earl had gifted to her. The husband didn't appear sick at all, as though his system had simply fought off the extremely effective, very complicated poison he had ingested. The four of them joined a pink-haired draenei bouncing around like an idiot and waltzed right in to the Refuge as though nothing happened.

Rage burned all the way up into Mei Guo's throat as his plan of finding any saps to take the front lines in the coming fight with the promise of plunder became more urgent. One Ear Guy tightened his totally awesome headband like a boss and even Earl stood up without strain from his manly beer belly and fixed his excellent combover. The three of them waited for their new vendetta to disappear from sight with a few old vendettas before moving out, intent on searching for new marks (read: desperate mercenaries) to fight their old marks. Mei Guo led the way, flexing his perfect abs as he rose.

"I just found the biggest fucking vendetta I've ever had...the whole bloody lot of them will be DEAD before the night is through!"

 **A/N: The end...of this sick trip through the mind of three disgusting pieces of shit. For the resolution of this conflict, you'll have to check out the upcoming three chapter "Before Summer's End," which I promise is much more light hearted than this. I'll be going on vacation soon, but I'll have Internet access; so unfortunately, we'll all have to wait a few weeks (not a whole month, just a few weeks) before the first chapter is posted.**

 **For anyone that found this particularly unpleasant or hard to read, I am sorry. This was both an exploration of the depths of evil in a *realistic* way (stuff like supervillains and Illidan and Hellscream are too over the top to be realistic at all) as well as scratching an itch I'd had from some things which had made me very uncomfortable. Hopefully, though, the sacrifice and end of my three pure evil OCs will give some sort of closure in their twisted side-continuum, and exorcise some old demons.**


End file.
